The Real Significance of Today’s House Health Care Repeal Vote

Five House Democrats voted with every House Republican today to repeal Obamacare. Of those five, two — Dan Boren (Okla.) and Mike Ross (Ark.) — are retiring. The other three are Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Larry Kissell (N.C.), and Jim Matheson (Utah). Of those three, all of them are greatly in danger of losing this November regardless of how they voted on this today. They did take one line of attack off the table for their opponents, though, one which will be VERY potent for every other Republican running in November:

“I will vote to repeal the job-killing ObamaCare tax while my opponent will vote to uphold it.”

Some people ::cough, CNN, cough:: have dismissed today’s vote, at least the 30th one held in the House, as just another vote for repeal. WRONG!

This vote is the first vote taken after the Supreme Court ruled that ObamaCare is constitutional on the sole basis that the individual mandate is a tax and not simply a penalty that can be imposed under the Commerce Clause.